COVID-19: The Contagion and Political Representation

At times, some people hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. So it is also in politics. The wrong persons are often landed the sacred mandate of representing the people at the various levels of governance, only to abuse its supposed sanctity. But the outbreak of COVID-19 has been much revealing of the quality, […]

At times, some people hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

So it is also in politics.

The wrong persons are often landed the sacred mandate of representing the people at the various levels of governance, only to abuse its supposed sanctity.

But the outbreak of COVID-19 has been much revealing of the quality, humanness and level of sensitivity of elected representatives of the people; on the lives and well-being of their constituency members.

This much has been expressed by their respective responses since the report of the landing of the contagion on our national soil following its index case in the month of February.

Whereas, in other climes, politics interestingly is not misconstrued or made such a bad thing; but perceived as a unique vocation.

It opens a window of opportunity for people to offer selfless services to both humanity and her environment; all for the sole criteria of advancing the society.

Much distressingly in Nigeria, and arising from the ever recurrent poor socio-economic and physical conditions afflicting the people everywhere and each day of the nation’s tortuous growth, politics has been converted to offer and control all sort of opportunities to which end, its sole beneficiaries have cornered and exploited everything specifically to their exclusive selfish advantage.

Against this sad and unsavory background, it would have rather been demanded of any one among the elite leadership class to adapt and forge the vast potentials of power and redirect it to the unique purpose of servicing the greatest good for the greatest number of the country’s growing and unabating clan of the world most celebrated poor.

It exactly calls for wisdom among the elite power class; but it can certainly not be mistaken in the strides and direction Dr. Michael Enyong, the member representing Uyo Federal Constituency in the National Assembly seemed to be taking.

The federal constituency, and one of the largest in the country constitutes one the biggest cosmopolitan/urban populations in Akwa Ibom State comprising Uyo, Uruan, Ibesikpo Asutan, and Nsit Atai Local Government Areas.

Driven by sheer inventiveness and a dire mission of purpose which clearly stands him out from the dainty crowd, Enyong is not only a ranking parliamentarian who is doing his second tenure within the hallowed green chamber, but is widely receiving acclaim and notoriety which can only but come to an erudite and brilliant personality and whose regular, robust and insightful contributions to debates on the floor of the hallowed chamber has brought a lot to improving the quality and content of law-making in the National Assembly.

And one may considerably ask: What informs this quantum drive and passion for service?

Simply put, it is an uncommon zeal to serve the people.

A commitment to make a strong, indelible and unmistaken difference; and especially so where some have abysmally failed.

It is all the product of creating the right impressions and a strong determination to put right what was done wrong.

This drive and force of commitment is easily traceable to derive from a position of self-conviction.

A mission rooted in a capacity ability vast enough to push forward the frontiers of possibilities, and in the effect, cast a new horizon of achievables before the people.

It is a capacity to inspire the people and make them see that they can achieve and gain it all, and in the effect bring and place within their own reach, everything meant for their possible grab.

From this power of conviction, for Enyong, his lure into politics, and the execution of a mandate constitutionally attached to a political office did not come as a matter of chance or crass opportunism.

It was the result of questioning the role of man and his own society, and the consequence of abandoning a mission in the face of an illuminating self-discovery to which use, one can only leave society better than he met it.

To him, public office holds quite an enormous meaning and with it comes an equally overwhelming responsibility.

To Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientific minds to have walked the earth, “the world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.’’

Similarly, political redirection and social influencing to Enyong would not come by allowing the same set of people to keep on doing the same wrong of under-representing the people; but by the effective entry of good minded individuals to boldly reverse the stakes and cause the dam of democracy to burst and flow in the interest of the people it was meant to serve.

To this social reformist, as a lawmaker of the federal republic of Nigeria, the question has always been that of identifying to where lies his political interest.

And the answer is and has never been farfetched.

Besides doling out COVID-19 palliatives running into tens of millions of naira to his constituency, Enyong has been executing several development-based and growth-driven constituency projects comprising critical infrastructure delivery, among others.

As a federal law-maker he has by far stretched his people-centered representation to touch on human capital development, building of capacity among youths and the all-round empowerment of the woman and girl-child gender.

So many in the effort, have benefited in the capacity from his entrepreneurial and philanthropic programmes including scholarship endowments and cash for business rehabs; which has gone to carter for not quite a few but a huge segment of his vibrant constituency.

With such overwhelming testimony, the future of democracy, it can be outrightly said holds great and lofty promises for this farsighted and masses -friendly politician.

As a rare thing to happen among his contemporaries, his name, assumed to be synonymous with unbridled philanthropy across Akwa Ibom Ibom State, will sure take him to higher places.

 

Udeme Uyoata writes from Uyo